The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Cats => Topic started by: sabrina on February 07, 2009, 07:54:55 pm
-
I have three cats, Cleo is a Burmese and in the winter likes to stay in the boiler house, she would be 13 years old and great at catching mice and rats. Paws is a black cat that we got along with his brother as kittens 17 years ago. Alas his brother died last year. Paws used to bring home rabbits some dead but not the babies. he just dumped them near the door for me to find. Jacks was my sons house cat but he moved and she did not settle so came to live with us, she is around 2 years old and kills mice but leaves the bodies all over the place. The chickens chase her, she lives in the barn and in the summer spent hours trying to catch the swallows much to my horror. I swore at her and told her she should be ashamed when those poor birds had flown such a distance to get here. When i am working outside she is alway around keeping an eye on what i am doing. Although we have four dogs I do enjoy having the cats and in a place like this would always have them around. :cat:
-
My last cat Sophie was almost 20 when she died. We'd had her since she stalked in the door past the four dogs and adopted us about 18 years previously. She had been failing but was still eating well. I went on holiday to America with the family and left my neighbours to pop in on her every day and feed her. When I got home she came to meet the car, and immediately meowed for food. I settled her down for the night, sorted the dogs after being in kennels, went to bed everyone happy and content. next morning went through to the utility room and she was stretched out in her usual manner - she never slept curled up, always stretched out. Only this time it was different - she was dead! She had waited for me to come home. :(
-
She must have loved you a lot, often cats take themselves off to die. Years ago with had a huge tabby that we took on after his owner died. He was just 9 months old and soon settled, was great with the children and we loved him dearly. He started acting strange one day, came in, went round the family making a fuss of us all. Then went to the door and wanted out. At the time I thought your strange today. We later found him curled up under the hedge dead. He was only 12 and it was so unexpected, we were all heartbroken at his loss :cat: :(
-
I have a 18 and a half tabby right now -completly blind and so thin yet eats for the world - Hes a huge handfull and has to have a room of his own now asthe 6 month kitten is pretty wild to say the least and the german shepherd although loves him to bits cant be left together. The cats sister dided last year after a tragic accident that shoudnt have happend and i was mortified at her loss -bit extreme comment for a cat but i was. Benny this tabby use to bring home so many presents and has slept with more girl guests to my home over the years than i have - even the ones i wanted to heheheh . heshada good life .
-
We have a cat who's almost 20 now, she was originally a ferrel kitten who we tamed along with her sister to have as pets. Her sister sadly died about 4 years ago, but the other one is still going strong (she's starting to look old now bless her - but can still manage the 5ft jump from the ground to the windowsill when she wants in!)
-
We've always rehomed older cats. We had Copper, who we got at 14 because her owner had a baby and decided not to keep her (Copper not the baby) ???. Copper died a week short of her 18th birthday. Homer was 10+ when we got him from the shelter; he was FIV+ and very timid; had been a stray a long time; he had two good years with us before he had to be put to sleep when his kidneys failed.
Cassius came to us 8 years ago aged between 6 and 10; he's had a chequered veterinary history and now has cancer of the bones in his face. At the moment, he's still in great form and enjoying the sunshine here. I'm going to miss him hugely.
Felix is 7 and the baby (in all sorts of ways), has chronic cat flu contracted as a kitten but is a gem of a boy.
I love our cats and certainly wouldn't be without them.
-
From reading a few posts plus knowing ofa few farms that keep cats to keep the rat population down - i cannot think of any better excuse for more cats once i get my smallholding.. Always been a cat person- adore nats german shepherd that i have here with me forpast 18 months ;D
-
Our former cat passed away when she was 22! My husband thinks she was ever so healthy because she stayed out at night and slept inside during the day. She was absolutely wonderful. As a kitten she used to go for walks with him. The one we have now is about 14, we offered her a home because she didn't get on with the other cats in the household and my kids just fell in love with her. She looks like my favourite duck, black with a white bib. She's a brilliant mouser and doesn't seem to be very much interested in birds.:&>
-
I have had some very old cats over the years but most of them have now passed on. My oldest cats now are my 2 Bengals (13 years old) and my little tabby cat who is about 14. I have 9 other cats but their ages range from a few months to 4 years. Most of them are cats that I have rehomed from the RSPCA and I love them to bits - can't imagine life without cats although there would be much more room on the bed.... I had 7 of them curled up next to me the other night :o
-
no cat here but i have two cats which are with the kids (who live at there mum's) they have adopted me for some reason and always come to me for a wee quick tickle and a rub, am normally not a cat person always had dogs
-
:cat: We have two cats one (ratfink) is 14 and started to show his age, the other robin is 9ish my g/ds rescue cat and going strong.Looking at the ages of other cats ours must have a few years left in them.(hope)
-
I got my old cat from the RSPCA about 10 years ago and he was then thought to be about 8-10. He was a long term stray and looks as though he was hit by a car at some point - his jaw is squint so his teeth don't meet, his nose is flat and sounds like Darth Vadar and he has a dribbly eye, but has always been the picture of health otherwise. Recently his age has really caught up with him. For the last month he has been hyperthyroid so is on tablets and in the last few months has started to get too stiff to clean himself properly. He has always been very fastidious cleaning his beautiful long coat and won't tolerate being brushed. Consequently he got matted up and today poor Bob had a proper short back and sides at the vets! I do feel sorry for him - they've left a mohican down his spine to keep him warm - he looks utterly ridiculous! Still love him - looks aren't everything are they?
-
Speaking personally, thank goodness they aren't!!
-
Is that Dan you mean? I think he is lovely - so if you don't like looking at him send him over here! ;D ;D ;D
Back to cats! My Rio is moonlighting, he's a dirty stop out! He used to live with horses before I got him and he has found some to live with up near Kennet - well maybe it's the rabbit population! He's a killing machine where bunnies and magpies are concerned! But he's been away for three weeks this time. Carol called me last night and I went up to take him home. He had a lovely sachet of food (not dried which he dislikes), lots of cuddles, went up on top of the wardrobe in his usual spot while I was on the computer just as usual, slept on my bed all night, then the dogs burst open the kitchen door this morning to come and wake me, and he fled through to the cat flap........... which I had forgotten to lock DUH!!!! I had hoped to worm and de-flea him and keep him in for a few days but he had other ideas! I'll get the stuff and a new collar and Carol will do it for me. Cats! Who'd have 'em!
-
just looking around and found this,had to reply because all my cats are getting on a bit now too, :cat: fred a blue persian has got to be about 15 now,just starting to really show his age,fatness and alvin are 9 and we just got a kitten :cat: .id forgotten how they destroy everything from curtains to wallpaper,keep you up at night chasing something thats invisible aaaggghhhh >:(
-
;D scattybiker - our kitten gave us more sleepless nights than our last daughter with her antics so I can relate to what you are going through!!
my older 3 cats are also getting podgy but don't seem to look their age other than that. one of them is 1/2 persian and he is catching mice, bringing them in live and passing them to the kitten. its almost fascinating to watch in a way how he is teaching her!
-
Earlier this year we had an unexpected litter of kittens, they caused so much problems, unfortunatley we lost their mother about a week after we rehomed 3 out of 4 (we kept the last) as she was hit by a car :'(
Our remaining kitten i'm posative not thinks he is a hen, as i keep finding him, clinging to the perches underneath my LS hens ;D
-
Had to get our old cat Paws put to sleep on Friday as he was failing fast. He hated the car so getting him to the vets was quite stressful but once there he settled and his last moments were very peacefull. I had dug his grave the day before in the garden close to where his brother was buried in 2007. As you know losing any animal is upsetting but his last weeks we made as happy as we could feeding him all his favorite things and keeping him in the house. It was funny to see him curled up next to me in the evenings with our Jack Russell doing his very best to pretend the cat was not there. When he did try to nose him once Paws gave him a quick swipe and that was the end of that game. We will miss him every day but I know he had a long and happy life. He came along with his brother from the cats protection as 6 week old kittens so when I am ready I will get another cat from them to keep Jaks company. She is a wonderful mouser being only three years old I feel she would be happier with a companion.
-
I'm so sorry to hear that :'( *hugs* It's good to hear that he went away peacefully, and that his last weeks were full of his favourite things.
-
my cat has got matti hair on its back.tried to bush them out.any ideas.
-
Get a hound slicker from your pet shop. It's a pad with a handle, the pad has pins that are bent over at the top. It is intended for use on soft fine hair, like some of the hound breeds and cats.
-
I have one cat called Spook I rescued form the RSPCA as a kitten - she was found on a rubbish dump with 2 others presumably her brothers as they were together, except they were black and white and Spook is clearly a mix of Russian Blue - if is wasn't for slight markings on her tail and the colour of her eyes she would look purebred.
She is almost 12 now, and loves living here in the country for the last 4 years. She has turned form a timid towncat who was chased by everything - birds and other cats - into a much sleeker and trim hunter who is forever dumping dead mice and weasels on the doorstop. If I go outside she always follows me round - we went for a walk around the 10 acre field and she stuck to me the whole way. She was a bit put out by the arrivals of the kids, but is incredibly patient with them, although prefers to be out of reach.
I was considering getting some kittens this year but I am not sure it's fair to Spook - she has had to put up with being moved from most important person in the house who slept on my bed, to being shut downstairs away from kids and cots at night - a kitten or 2 might just push her over the edge since she hates other cats. Any ideas how well an older cat will take to new kittens?
-
I have a lovely big cat called Barney who is now 13yrs old and has just been diagnosed with an over active thyroid so will be on tablets for the rest of his days. He is a bit agrophobic and can only be outside if he can see the patio doors are open, when he was a kitten he got trapped under a pallet of roof tiles and it took quite a while to get him free. We had another younger cat who died from cancer when he was only about 8
he used to sleep on top of the telly and we wondered if that was what caused his cancer.
-
I think it depends on the cat. We had two cats - Felix and cassius. cass was way boss cat. Felix is a wee sweetie. After Cass died, we got two kittens - litter brothers, called Harry and Bertie. Felix is 11. I was bit concerned at how he would cope.
Well, they love each other. Harry and Felix cuddle up together - Felix grooms Harry. Felix and Bertie aren't so friendly - there's no nonsense, but they don't sleep together or groom each other. Harry and Bertie are sometimes just a pile of cats. It's given Felix a new lease of life as he plays with them too. And they all eat together happily.
-
I love a chance to talk about my cats. Pushkin was nearly 18 years old when she died. I have two cats at the moment. Stella is 15 years old (Tinker is only). I adopted Stella in New York City where I lived for 3 years and she came on a British Airways flight home when we moved back. She has asthma and in NYC was getting steroid shots every 2-3 months. Since she has lived here she only has to have one about once a year. Just goes to show how healthy country air is. But she is now showing signs of ageing with loss of hearing, thinning at the temples and losing weight even though she eats well.